Managing and communicating with influence without formal authority

Managing and Communicating with Influence without Formal Authority

Effective management and communication are crucial in virtually every professional arena. Many businesses, entrepreneurial endeavors and other enterprises are made or destroyed as a result of the ability to communicate, or lack thereof. Many professionals know what good management looks like, but are unsure of how to recreate it in their own work environments. Many also mistakenly think that they need to have official authority in order to make a positive impact at management, which is actually not the case. Any member of a company or enterprise can make a meaningful participatory impact at the act of communication or management, regardless of their place on the totem pole.
One way that communicating with influence can occur is when one creates a receptive environment. This is crucial because a receptive environment means that communication isn’t being stifled, rather there’s a pervasive vibe that a free flow of ideas can and should exist. This environment tells the average worker that their opinion, concerns and their thought processes matter. When you approach management and communication from a perspective that includes everyone on the team, even the people who are beneath you, it sets you up for success.

Receptive Environment
You can still create an environment that is receptive to communication even if you don’t have any formal authority by making meaningful suggestions for change. For example, suggesting that everyone put their desks in a circle or that everyone initiate an open-door policy in their offices during certain hours can be breathtakingly transformative for a particular work environment. “Avoid a tense environment at all costs because when you communicate in an overly intense manner, the message you are trying to share might not be well understood or retained” (Belonwu, 2018). The environment should feel friendly, and informal where people feel safe and comfortable.

Confidence is Crucial
Despite one’s lack of official authority, one needs to create a persona of confidence and seriousness so that all ideas, suggestions, and points made are not taken lightly. Confidence is perhaps one of the most crucial aspects of this equation of all. In life, people can sense a lack of confidence and it is perhaps one of the most toxic things you can infect your interactions with. “Ensure that you display confidence and seriousness to ensure that you will not be taken for granted. When your team members notice any uncertainty and lack of seriousness when you’re communicating with them, they are likely to treat the information with disdain or disregard” (Belonwu, 2018). Numerous studies have been conducted on the power of confidence and how it has the ability to shape the path of a company and the direction of lives. People naturally gravitate towards confidence and they are immediately repelled from a lack of confidence.

Understand Communication Styles
The more educated you are in regards to communication and communication styles, the more you will be able to communicate effectively. What acts as a stumbling block for so many people is that everyone in their workplace often has a distinct communication style. People who want to exact influence often can’t because they are unclear of how to communicate with those who use words and language and thought processes different from them. “When it comes to figuring out how you communicate with others, you may want to indulge in some self-reflection. For example, are you an introvert who needs time to process and reflect, or an extrovert who wants to think out loud and get immediate feedback?” (North, 2018). Once you engage in this useful self-reflection, it puts you in a place to consider those around you. What kind of communicators do you have around you? Is everyone more extroverted or more introverted? Are there people around you who seem to neither be an introvert nor an extrovert? In cases like these, suggesting that everyone take a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) can shed light on the details of your own communication style, as well as your colleagues and superiors . While some people roll their eyes at the idea of such tests, they really can provide deeply meaningful illumination in regards to how people think and approach problem solving. Engaging in this type of meaningful research about oneself and others, really can sometimes be the tipping point. For example, according to MBTI, “thinkers” are people who runs ideas through a more logic-paradigm before engaging in ta course of action. “Feelers” according to MBTI are those who sometimes run an idea or course of action through a creative or emotional-paradigm or assessing method (North, 2018). “Thinkers are guided by cause-and-effect reasoning. When communicating with thinkers, you will want to focus on the facts and logic. Feelers, on the other hand, are guided more by personal values. When engaging with feelers, you will want to appeal to those values and stress their impact on others” (North, 2018). This is just one example of how knowing someone’s communication style can make a transformative difference on how you engage with them.
Self-Educate Regarding Body Language
On that note, it can also be very useful to make sure you understand the basics and essentials of constructive body language. People, particularly those in the workplace are very sensitive to body language, and everything that body language can suggest and imply. Even people who swear they don’t notice body language are still impacted by it subconsciously. “You may think you are communicating clearly and directly to your employees, but if your body language doesn't match what you say, you could be sending mixed signals” (Crawford, 2017). Human beings are animals after all, we are more sensitive than we care to admit about the way the physicality of others can impact us. For example, if a coworker comes by our desk and tells us we did a great job, but does so with their arms crossed, it might make them appear defensive, or combative, or resentful on the inside. Thus, if you want to communicate with more authority, you need to do so with body language that supports what you are saying, not body language that undermines it. “Make sure you use proper eye contact, aren't distracted and that your posture denotes openness when speaking with employees or teammates. Your employees understand you are busy, but when they see you really take the time to speak with them, genuinely commend them or help them when they don't understand something, it will deepen their respect for you” (Crawford, 2017). Engaging in proper body language can’t help but make you seem like a more genuine person. You will naturally come across as someone who is authentic and sincere and the people you work with will more naturally gravitate to what you are saying.
Management
Engaging in management techniques even when you don’t have the proper authority to do so, is something that will almost magically increase your influence in the workplace. It might even be something that can help put you in line for a promotion at a faster rate. It important to understand that in the workplace, sometimes even groups with the most compatible members and collectives will have disagreements or misunderstandings. If you take initiative to help work things out, this will put you in a position of leadership that will not only help you ascend through the ranks of the company, but will put the company in a more conducive place to evolve and excel. Consider finding out from your supervisor if they would be open to allowing you to organize a group discussion. Set a date and then send out an agenda for the meeting and position the agenda with key questions and goals (North, 2018).
In order to have the most successful meeting possible, consider following these steps: Pinpoint the issue at hand. If your colleagues don’t think there is a problem or refuse to acknowledge one or just don’t know what the issue is—then one can’t be solved (North, 2018). “Ventilate feelings. We all need to be heard. Be sure that everyone has a chance to share how they feel about the particular issue at hand” (North, 2018). People often underestimate how vital this next step is. Ventilating feelings allows people to air out some of their more crippling issues with the problems at hand. When people are allowed to vent their feelings it ensures that underlying problems, hurt feelings and grievances don’t undermine the strength and the health of the overall organization. “Describe the problem. Does everyone understand all the complexities involved?”(North, 2018). Articulating the problem in real time also ensures that everyone is in agreement to what the underlying issues are. It allows people a final chance to talk and to add grievances or additions to what they think the issues are. The last step is for everyone to create a solution or solutions (North, 2018). This should feel very democratic and should ensure that everyone is able to make a suggestion. The solution that is ultimately selected needs to be one that everyone feels good about and thinks is appropriate. “The most desirable result of the group discussion is consensus, where everyone agrees on the solution. But this may not always be feasible. Other situations may necessitate a majority vote, third-party mediation or arbitration, or even a temporary suspension of the discussion” (North, 2018). The more realistically you can approach finding a solution, the better. While it would be wonderful if everyone agreed on a solution, sometimes, that’s just not possible. Regardless of what happens, just know that you have the power to enact really powerful change, by making people feel heard and by instigating a free flow of ideas.
Employ Engagement
Employ engagement is one of the most vital aspects of company success. After all, a company is made up of their employees, and they have one of the biggest hands in the success of the organization. Employees like to feel heard, and to feel like they matter—they don’t like to feel like they’re another number or another cog in the great machine of the firm. “Employees with higher levels of engagement with their managers tend to feel they are getting direction on the work they do, and feedback on their performance. These employees will have a mutual feeling of respect with their managers, which also lends to the sense of being a valued part of the company” (Boyer, 2017). Engaging in solid management skills means being able to make employees feel like an active participant in the company. You can achieve this even if you don’t have formal authority. Practicing employee engagement means that you show you care: not just about the company but about the people who shape it.